Mechanism for depositing confections on wafers



May 3, 1938. J. BRANDT MECHANISM FOR DEPOSITING CONFECTIONS'ON WAFERS Filed June 24, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 3, 1938. J. BRANDT MECHANISM FOR DEPOSITING CONFECTIONS ON WAFERS Filed June' 24, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 3, 1938. ER MDT 2,115,799

MECHANISM FOR DEPOSITING CGNFECTIONS ON WAFERS Filed June 24, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 3, 1938 EJNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANISM FOR DEPOSITING CONFEC- TIONS ON WAFERS tion of Illinois Application June 24, 1937, Serial No. 150,099

4 Claims.

My invention relates to machines for depositing coatings of soft plastic confections, such as icings, jellies, and the like upon baked wafers or cookies to produce coated or deposit goods. The

present invention relates to improvements in the depositing mechanism of such a machine as that shown in Salerno Patent No. 1,801,573, dated April 21, 1931, and has to do with changes brought about by the provision of additional parts whereby the functioning of the depositing mechanisms is made more uniform and regular. In the following specification I have described my present invention and improvement together with such other parts of the machine improved upon as will be necessary for a clear understanding of the same, and in the appended claims I have set forth the essential elements of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section in a plane extending transversely of the hopper and longitudinally of the machine, the plane of the section being indicated by the dotted line on Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a left side elevation of the same portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the upper portion of the machine viewed from a plane just to the rear of the hopper structure, parts of the hopper casing being broken away to show parts behind them; and 30 Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section showing my invention applied to the icing mechanism only, and showing a position of the forcing plunger and valve opposite to that shown in Fig. 1.

Like reference characters identify like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the present invention a brief preliminary description of the organization of the machine will first be given.

The wafers to be deposited are carried forwardly through the machine on an endless intermittently movable feed belt I passing over the top of a rocking table 2, which is given an inter valve-governed, leading to the smaller hopper, which may be termed the jelly hopper. Associated with each hopper is a reciprocating plunger or pumping member cooperating with the valve member of the particular hopper to pump charges of confection from such hopper through the nozzles to coat the cakes.

As in the case of the machine described in said Salerno Patent No. 1,801,573, the hopper structure is formed with an approximately central partition 23, separating the icing hopper from the jelly hopper, and a stationary rear forcing chamber wall 24 and a stationary front forcing chamber wall 25, both parallel with the partition wall 23, and with the intersecting hopper walls 15 at the ends of the hopper providing two forcing chambers within which severally work the vertically reciprocating flat piston or plunger 26 of the jelly depositing mechanism, and the similar plunger or piston 2'! of the icing depositing 20 mechanism. Below the plunger 26 and rotatably mounted in the stationary members of the forcing mechanism is arranged the rotary flat-sided valve member 28 of the jelly depositing mechanism and the similar rotary valve 29 of the icing depositing mechanism, each provided with teeth forming a gear at one end of the valve member and the toothed portions of the two members being disposed at opposite sides of the machine.

The icing plunger or piston member 21 is reciprocated by means of a pair of eccentrics 40 on a driven shaft 32, vertical connecting bars 4|, rocking adjusting frames 42, and a pair of connecting rods 44 pivoted to opposite ends of a cross-head 45 slidingly mounted in a guide frame 41 above the double hopper structure, and connected by bolts 46 to the upper side of the piston.

The icing valve 29 is rotated in synchronism with the piston movements through a cam 52 secured to the shaft 32, a rocking lever 54, a connecting rod 55, and a bell-crank 5'! having a vertical member 51 connected to a sliding horizontal rack-bar 58 cooperating with the toothed end of said valve 29. The timing of the plunger and valve movement is such that the plunger will begin to ascend an instant before the valve closes communication through the nozzles, with the result that formation of a nipple of confection upon the top of the deposit is prevented.

The jelly plunger or piston 26 is operated through a cam 59 adjus'tably secured (through means not illustrated) to the shaft 32, a rocking adjusting frame 60, a connecting rod 5!, a rock arm 62 and rock shaft 63 carrying a pair of rock arms 64-454 connected by links 65-65 to a cross- I head 86 slidingly mounted in the guide frame 41 and connected by vertical bars 81 with the piston. The jelly valve 28 is operated by a cam 68, also adjustably secured to the shaft 32 through means for simultaneous adjustment with the cam 59 through means not illustrated, a rocking lever 69, a connecting rod I8, and a bell crank 1| having a vertical arm connected to a sliding horizontal rack-bar 72 arranged to mesh with the toothed end of said jelly valve.

The table 2, it may be stated, is supported and intermittently lifted to a determinable extent through a triple-faced cam adjustably secured to a shaft 93 having geared connection with the shaft 32, and arranged through a cooperating cam roller carried by arms 88 upon a yoke 85 loosely mounted on a rock shaft 55 and through a lug 86 on said yoke and a block 83 secured to:

such rock shaft to rock such shaft and a pair of arms 82 also secured thereto, and through a pair of links 8| pivoted to the ends of such arms to raise and lower the table to an extent determined by the particular face of the cam.

Coming now to the modified construction of the depositing mechanism which forms the subject matter of the present invention, it will be understood that my invention may be applied either to the icing depositing mechanism, or the jelly depositing mechanism, or both. In depositing machines of the prior art, constructed in accordance with the disclosure and teaching of the Salerno patent above mentioned, it has been found in practice that certain defects exist, found usually to a greater extent in the icing depositing mechanism than the jelly depositing mechanism, though in some measure inherent in both. The icing (or other confection) in some instances tends to thicken, and clog around the entrance passage to the rotary Valve, particularly when a somewhat stiff and heavy confection is being operated upon, and it is frequently necessary to manually scrape down the partially caked matter from the sides of the hopper and stir it up in this region. Another defect arises from the fact that when operating the machine at full speed the suction induced by the upward movement of the piston in the forcing chamber immediately after the momentary initial suction which draws back the final nipple of confection from the top of the deposit and at the time the valve is beginning to open communication between the supply hopper and the forcing chamber, is under some circumstances insuflicient to induce a free and rapid flow of the somewhat thick and viscid confection into such chamber sufficient to entirely fill it during the upward movement of the piston, with the result that a rarefied void remains which upon the next downward movement of the piston acts to produce an imperfect and wrinkled deposit of confection upon the wafers. Should the confection be unusually stiff, and become clotted, the tendency to imperfect functioning of the machine is further intensified. It is the object of my invention to maintain a smooth uniform consistence of the confection adjacent the lowermost portion of the hopper, and bring about a free and adequate flow of the confection from the hopper into the forcing chamber to fill it properly under all conditions, so that when the charge from the chamber is forced through the valve and nozzles of the machine perfectly formed deposits of confection will be made.

To this end, and describing first the mechanism for depositing the icing, I provide a supplementary pumping member consisting of a vertically j reciprocating plunger I88 arranged immediately above the valve opening covered and uncovered by the icing valve 29, this plunger being housed in a chamber formed by the forward face of the front forcing chamber wall 25, and a second parallel forward wall I 8| secured to the hopper walls at the sides of the machine, and the portions of such side hopper walls lying between the walls 25 and IN.

This supplementary pumping member I88 is arranged to move downwardly as the plunger 21 moves upwardly and while the valve 29 opens communication between the hopper and the forcing chamber, and to move upwardly while communication is closed between the hopper and forcing chamber and while the confection is being extruded through the valve passage and depositing nozzles. The result is a vigorous pumping action of the confection as it is pumped into and out of the pumping chamber below the plunger I88, which upon the downward stroke of the plunger drives the confection beneath it in one stream toward and through the valve opening and at the same time drives excess confection in another stream underneath the partition HM, and upon the upward stroke of the plunger draws the confection into space below, and then exerts a stirring effect on the confection adjacent the valve opening which aids materially in keeping the confection of uniform consistency and free from clots tending to cause irregularity in the functioning of the forcing and valve mechanism.

To effect the described movement of the supplemental pumping member I08, I have provided a pair of oscillating levers I82I82, which are intermediately pivoted upon a cross-bar I83 extending between and secured to the side walls of the hopper structure, the levers being pivotally connected at their inner ends to links IDA-I84 which are pivoted also to the cross-head of the icing depositing mechanism and at their outer ends are pivoted to links I88 pivotally connected with lugs formed on the top of the member I88.

The mechanism for depositing the jelly or other confection is substantially the same in construction and arrangement, and includes the supplementary pumping member I85, reciprocating in a chamber enclosed by the forcing chamber wall 24 and a parallel rear wall I86 and portions of the side walls of the jelly hopper, the pumping member being reciprocated by means of a pair of oscillating levers I8'I-I8'l intermediately pivoted to a stationary cross-bar I88, and connected by links I 89-I89 pivoted to the cross-head B8 of the jelly plunger mechanism and by links II8I I8 pivoted to lugs upon the top of such plunger member.

It will be noted that whatever be the timing of the icing depositing mechanism with respect to the jelly depositing mechanism, the corinections described will at all times cause the supplemental plungers I88 and I85 to operate in synchronism with the movements of the respection alternatively between said piston chamber and said hopper and between said piston chamber and said nozzles, means for operating said piston and said valve synchronously, a pumping chamber having an opening in said hopper adjacent said outlet opening of the hopper, a plunger in said pumping chamber, and means for reciprocating said plunger to expel confection from said pumping chamber when said valve is open between said hopper and said forcing chamber and to draw confection into said pumping chamber when said valve is closed between said hopper and said forcing chamber.

2. In a confection-depositing machine, a confection hopper having an outlet opening adjacent its bottom, a row of depositing nozzles adjacent said outlet opening, a flat vertical rectangu ar forcing chamber having a bottom opening adjacent said outlet opening of the hopper, a reciprocating flat piston closing said chamber above its opening, a valve seated in the hopper structure and arranged to control communication alternatively between said piston chamber and said hopper and between said piston chamber and said nozzles, means for operating said piston chamber and said valve synchronously, a pumping chamber having an opening in said hopper adjacent said outlet opening of the hopper, a plunger in said pumping chamber, and means. for reciprocating said plunger to expel confection from said pumping chamber when said valve is open between said hopper and said forcing chamber and to draw confection into said pumping chamber when said valve is closed between said hopper and said forcing chamber.

3. Confection-depositing mechanism according to claim 1 in which the means for reciprocating the plunger in the pumping chamber comprises linkage intermediate the recited piston and said plunger.

4. Confection-depositing mechanism according to claim 1 in which the means for reciprocating the plunger in the pumping chamber comprises a pair of oscillating levers intermediately pivoted upon a stationary part of the hopper structure and a pair of links pivoted to the ends of said levers. and also pivoted to the recited piston, and a pair of links pivoted to the other ends of said levers and also pivoted to said plunger.

JOHN BRANDT. 

